A seamless start to Mongolia with a smooth 2 hour flight from Beijing.  Through the airport easily, and got a taxi. This was all starting so well.

And then the fun begins, the taxi driver explained ‘Ulaanbaatar is terrible for traffic’, and would it be ok with me to go an alternative route, to save time.   Obviously I agreed. Little did I know we were going off roading.  We went on a road trip for 4v4 vehicle, but we were doing it in a taxi!  How we didn’t blow a tyre out, or my back, I’m not sure.  I think I need a chiropractor.  They call it the ‘Mongolian Massage’, and this would not be the last time I became accustomed to the massage of Mongolia.

It was ‘adore at first sight’ when I landed in Mongolia … I knew, just knew, that I had landed somewhere special, somewhere that I would thoroughly enjoy my time. Having done this traveling to new countries lark quite a bit now, I find that it real that I can have this sixth sense. I can feel, smell or just plain know that this is going to be a great experience and I country that I will like enormously. Mongolia had this in spades.

Mongolian Thank You

I learned ‘bayarlalaa’ means thank you in the Mongolian language. Mongolian seems a hard to learn language, but this is ok..

Day One in Ulaanbaatar was filled with walking. I completed 35,000 steps wandering around this great city. I think I was moving faster than the traffic for most of the time. I started at Sukhbaatar Square, just a short walk from the hotel. Named after the Mongolian revolutionary Damdin Sukhbaatar. A statue of Chinggis Khan features at the north of the square. His name, the legend, features many times, and he is the father of the nation.

I meandered my way around the city streets. I think the streets were leading me, rather than the other way around. The city seemed to know me as a new friend, wanted to share the specialness, but it let me do it at my pace, my path. I just kept stumbling across monuments, museums, and things to see and do. It seemed too easy. I then checked the city GPS to see where I was in relation to the Zaisan Memorial Monument. It honors the dead of World War II from Mongolia and Russia, and there are almost 300 steps that take you up to the top, and the view is wonderful, all 360 degrees. (middle picture above).

I was searching out a restaurant and saw the ‘Silk Road Bar & Grill’. I love the stories of the Silk Road, the countries of the Silk Road. The Mongol Empire was at the forefront of that as they revitalized the Silk Road in the 13th & 14th centuries. The meal I had in their honor was truly fabulous, what a great restaurant I found. The good food was accompanied by a Pilsner beer, and guess who it is named after .. the great man, Chinggis Khan, and his beer is great too!

The city lured me in. My feet were sore, my belly and heart were full. Everything is fantastic about Ulaanbaatar, except for one thing, how truly difficult it is to spell. They call it UB, unsurprisingly. If I could like the city more, I am not sure how.

A Day Trip to Remember

For the next day of my time in Mongolia I had arranged a tour day trip. This was the one day I was most excited about in my whole vacation trip, not just Mongolia. I had heard and seen pictures and videos of the day tour I was about to enjoy, but to go do it first hand… I was looking forward to it enormously.

I had booked the trip through Get Your Guide, they are able to connect you with great local travel guides. The local travel company then do the rest. Jana at MJ Travel in Mongolia was a great communicator, made things easy and understandable, so all things were sent in place for the days adventure. I had the pleasure of sharing my trip with an American named Adam who now lived in the Philippines, a genuine nice man who shared travel anecdotes and experiences as we shared our day.

Jana, our guide, told Mongolia stories, shared helpful information and knit the day together, whether it be Chinggis Khan, Mongolian history, the present day, military service, Mongolian words, or the music of the day. It was a natural meandering that just made it fun.

Chinggis Khan Statue Complex

The highlight to the day trip was to go see Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex. Anyone who learns about Mongolia knows about this place. It’s 54km east of Ulaanbaatar in Tsonjin Boldog. features the world’s largest equestrian statue. Built in 2008 for the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire, this 40-meter-tall stainless steel monument faces east toward the birthplace of Chinggis Khaan on the Tuul.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I wanted to come see this place. I’d seen photos and videos and it looked amazing. I saw it in person, and it looks amazing. I even marked the occasion with having a photo of me taken with an eagle. I’m not sure if it was neat, scary or stupid, but it was fun!

Around 7,000 British tourists visit Mongolia each year, and only 22,000 Americans. Most of the 850,000 tourists Mongolia gets come from China, Russia and South Korea. I want to tell you how wonderful this place is, the potential and great adventures that you can and will find… but I don’t want too many tourists to come, and ruin the specialness of this place. Mongolia is brilliant, utterly brilliant. I loved this place.